Scheme Outline

Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) Outline

Under the current Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) 2010 - 2013, payment is:

historic based; and

tied to the land and the business.

Eligibility

LFASS 2011 was paid to eligible farmers and crofters who actively farm eligible Scottish LFA land. To qualify for LFASS 2010-2013 an applicant also had to:

be at least 16 years of age;

have declared at least 3 hectares of eligible land;

actively farm Scottish LFA land for the greater part of the year; and

meet all cross-compliance requirements.

Submit an Animal Declaration (Normally 2009 or for New Applicants, the first year of claiming)

Payments

The principle behind the scheme is to identify eligible hectares according to land use and designated grazing categories. Eligible hectares will be adjusted to take account of:

ineligible dairy land;

minimum and maximum stocking densities; and

the enterprise mix hectare multiplier,

assessed from the LFASS 2009 Animal Declaration and 2009 land declared on a Single Application Form.

Land is also adjusted by the appropriate grazing category multiplier.

Payment will be made on each adjusted hectare. Payment rates are graded according to fragility and the degree of disadvantage affecting the land. We aim to make payments around the early part of the year.

Claims

The 2011 scheme application period is now closed and the next opportunity to make a claim will be for LFASS 2012. The application form will be part of the Single Application Form (SAF), which is to be submitted by 15 May 2012.